Meanwhile, Kisame Hoshigaki launched an attack on Sarutobi Asuma as well. The two traded blows evenly, and Kisame was unable to take Asuma down anytime soon.
The honest Kisame Hoshigaki immediately formed hand seals and shouted, "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
Two water dragons rose from the lake's surface and devoured each other as the powerful aftershock of the ninja art spread outward.
At that critical moment, Hatake Kakashi unleashed an identical ninja art.
"Using the same ninja art as me?" Kisame Hoshigaki seemed somewhat surprised that Hatake Kakashi had managed to use an equally powerful Water Release technique at such a crucial moment. That was no easy feat.
"Why are you here?"
Sarutobi Asuma asked in surprise.
Hatake Kakashi replied, "Although I left this matter to you just now, I was still worried."
In the field, another Hatake Kakashi had already arrived behind Uchiha Itachi with a shuriken in hand.
"Hatake Kakashi?"
Uchiha Itachi turned around and spoke coldly.
"You are a Rogue Ninja. Why have you returned to the village?" Hatake Kakashi asked.
Upon hearing that, Second Pillar outside the screen instantly sat up straight.
The string of spectacular Jonin Level ninja art clashes had left him dazzled, but Hatake Kakashi's question was also something he desperately wanted to know. What exactly did Uchiha Itachi, a Rogue Ninja, want by returning to the village?
Hearing this, Uchiha Itachi in the screen turned around and merely said, "Hatake Kakashi."
"Those eyes are still the same as before. Of course, you are the rightful inheritor of the Sharingan. I need to prepare for the worst." Hatake Kakashi stared into Uchiha Itachi's eyes, anxiety visible in his gaze.
"How surprising. No wonder you could use the same ninja art as me. I never thought that, besides Itachi, someone else would truly possess those eyes." Kisame Hoshigaki teased. "You must be Kakashi, the Copy Ninja."
"I should be the surprised one. I never expected the suspicious men I found in the teahouse to be Uchiha Itachi and Kisame Hoshigaki, Kirigakure's freak." Hatake Kakashi replied without yielding an inch.
"I didn't expect you to know me." Kisame Hoshigaki said with a curl of his lips.
"So you are one of Kirigakure's Seven Ninja Swordsmen." Hatake Kakashi's expression was equally grave. "That greatsword must be Samehada."
Though Hatake Kakashi had never met Kirigakure's Seven Ninja Swordsmen, they were nonetheless extremely famous.
The seven were a group formed from Kirigakure's strongest experts. Each possessed a ninja sword, each different and each with its own unique use.
The wielders of those Seven Ninja Swords were often the very elite of Kirigakure's elite.
Every one of them possessed strength at least at the Elite Jonin level.
However, Kisame Hoshigaki's next words caught Hatake Kakashi's attention outside the screen.
"I heard you fought that kid Zabuza?" Kisame Hoshigaki asked directly. "He is someone worth cutting down."
"Me? Fighting Zabuza?" Hatake Kakashi sank into thought. Judging by Second Pillar's appearance in the screen, the time period of this scene did not seem far from the present—at most, within half a year.
In other words, within half a year, his future self would encounter two members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen in succession?
Any one of those seven had the ability to pose an enormous threat to him.
Although he was confident that he should be able to win, none of them were nobodies. Every one of them was formidable.
Before Kisame Hoshigaki could make a move, however, Uchiha Itachi called him to a stop.
"Kisame, don't act recklessly."
"If you truly fight him, you probably won't be able to retreat unscathed," Uchiha Itachi said. "And if this drags on, the other ninja will soon be alerted."
"But..." Kisame Hoshigaki wanted to argue, but Uchiha Itachi cut him off. "Don't forget our objective. You did not come here to suffer."
"Then I would like to hear what your objective is." Hatake Kakashi said.
As soon as he said that, his Shadow Clone turned into a cloud of white smoke and vanished.
"We merely came to find something," Uchiha Itachi answered.
Hatake Kakashi immediately threatened, "What are you looking for?"
"Unlike Kisame, I won't need much time!" Uchiha Itachi did not answer. He merely spoke calmly, but in the blink of an eye, he thrust out one hand, his palm full of Darts.
At the same time, Hatake Kakashi instantly used a ninja art as though facing a deadly enemy.
"Ninja Art: Water Release, Water Style: Water Wall."
Hatake Kakashi instantly formed a Water Wall around himself. At the same time, the surrounding waves transformed into streams of water spikes that blasted toward him, only to be blocked at the critical moment.
"What incredible casting speed." Hatake Kakashi was stunned by Uchiha Itachi's speed in using ninja arts.
As a genius ninja, his hand seal speed was already exceptionally fast, yet others could still see the seals he formed. Uchiha Itachi, however, completed his hand seals the instant he extended his hand. If not for his Sharingan, which let him see Itachi's movements while using the technique, he probably would not even know how he died.
Hatake Kakashi outside the screen looked even graver. As expected, Uchiha Itachi was stronger than he had been back then—far stronger.
The most shocked person was Second Pillar, who was stunned by Uchiha Itachi's casting speed.
Hatake Kakashi's speed in using techniques was already unbelievably fast. Sasuke could not keep up with it at all, but Uchiha Itachi's speed shocked him even more. He had no idea when Uchiha Itachi had completed the technique.
"Damn it, is the gap between us really this huge?"
Second Pillar clenched both fists, unable to believe it.
If Uchiha Itachi had become this powerful, how could his future self possibly compete with him, let alone take revenge?
Would he never be able to catch up to him?
At that moment, he began to hate himself for being content with the hollow honor of being first in his grade these past few years. What had he even learned at the Ninja Academy?
He appeared to have made progress, but how could the gap between him and these top-tier experts be so enormous?
Hatake Kakashi was already an expert beyond anything he had ever heard of or seen before. Whether it was his presence, the power of his techniques, or his hand seal speed, he was an expert unlike any Sasuke had previously known.
The Uchiha Clan had been wiped out too early. At that time, he had only just begun training and had never truly seen what the Uchiha Clan's experts were like. Still, they were probably no different from Hatake Kakashi.
This was not belittling the Uchiha Clan's experts. After all, Hatake Kakashi's reputation was immense as well—Konoha's Number One Technician.
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